Words of Courage for Women

By Carolyn Larsen

When we get out of bed in the morning, we don't know what the day ahead holds. It could be routine. It could be amazing. It could be devastating. No matter what each day holds, one of the biggest influences on the direction our days take is our own attitude. We can live in fear, worry, and anxiety, or we can choose to live with purpose, trusting God in every circumstance.

Compact and concise, Carolyn Larsen's Words of Courage for Women and Words of Peace for Women each offer you 90 inspiring devotional readings that will help you remember God's presence in your days and see your world from a positive perspective. These short, to-the-point readings illuminate God's promises and show you just how they apply to your everyday life. Beautifully designed, these devotionals are the perfect gift for a friend--and for yourself.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Baker Publishing Group
• Release date: Mar 17, 2020
• ISBN: 9781493421220

Carolyn Larsen

Carolyn Larsen is the bestselling author of more than 50 books for children and adults. She has been a speaker for women's events and classes around the world, bringing scriptural messages filled with humor and tenderness.

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© 2020 by Carolyn Larsen

Published by Revell

a division of Baker Publishing Group

PO Box 6287, Grand Rapids, MI 49516-6287

www.revellbooks.com

Ebook edition created 2020

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—for example, electronic, photocopy, recording—without the prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file at the Library of Congress, Washington, DC.

ISBN 978-1-4934-2122-0

Scripture quotations are from the Holy Bible, New International Version®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com. The NIV and New International Version are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™

Contents

Cover

Half Title Page

Title Page

Copyright Page

1. The Source of Courage

2. Perfect Love

3. Guarded

4. The Love of a Father

5. Just for This Time

6. The Hardest Thing

7. Courage to Face Temptation

8. God’s Restoration

9. What’s Your Goal?

10. Peace and Courage

11. World-Changing Courage

12. Courage to Love Others

13. Courage to Heal Relationships

14. Courage to Share Your Faith

15. Focused on God

16. Love Song

17. Courage When You’re Discouraged

18. Be Prepared

19. Courage While Waiting

20. Uniquely You

21. Taking On the Big Guy

22. Courage in the Dark

23. The Rubber Meets the Road

24. Take a Risk

25. Courage to Forgive

26. Courage to Walk Away

27. Courage to Let Go

28. Courage to Ask

29. Courage to Grieve

30. Courage to Not Judge

31. Fueled by Love

32. Power from Vulnerability

33. Courage to Be Still

34. Courage to Share Your Life with Others

35. The Future

36. Courage to Love Yourself

37. You Matter to God

38. Showing Kindness

39. Standing Bare before God

40. Never Alone

41. Controlling Yourself

42. Painful Times

43. Prayer

44. Deep Thoughts

45. Stay Focused

46. Just Believe

47. In the Wilderness

48. Loving When It’s Hard

49. God-Honoring Conversation

50. Courage to Stand Strong

51. Your Shining Life

52. A Powerful Presence

53. Courageous Honesty

54. Coal or Diamonds

55. Courage to Try New Things

56. God Asks You to Pray

57. Getting Out of Your Comfort Zone

58. Courage to Answer

59. Complete Trust

60. Courage to Rejoice

61. Controlling Your Thought Life

62. Growing in Godliness

63. Courage to Praise

64. A New You

65. Never Changing

66. In the Tough Times

67. No Fear

68. Work to Do

69. Nothing in Return

70. On Guard

71. Courage to Honor God

72. The Only Salvation

73. Courage When Things Look Hopeless

74. Brave Changes

75. According to His Will

76. Brown Sugar Giving

77. Trusting God to Provide

78. Waiting for God’s Timing

79. It’s Not Over

80. Eternally Alive

81. Jumping out of the Boat

82. The Power of Change

83. Courage to Obey

84. Greatest Faith

85. Courage to Face My Sin

86. Courage to Be You

87. Courage That Makes You Creative

88. Greatest Commandments

89. Guard Your Heart

90. A Step at a Time

About the Author

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Back Cover

1

The Source of Courage

Surely God is my salvation;

I will trust and not be afraid.

The LORD, the LORD himself, is my strength and my defense;

he has become my salvation.

ISAIAH 12:2

Why does fear take root in your heart? Are you afraid you can’t withstand temptations or that you won’t be able to stand against Satan’s attacks? When you invite Jesus into your heart, he becomes your strength to stand against all frightening things. He becomes your shield against danger and your defender against all enemies.

God promises in his Word to always be with you. Read that again: always! He’s the source of your courage. Allow his strength to fill your heart so you can face whatever is before you. Never doubt his power because, after all, he promised it to you.

What can you do when anxiety threatens to paralyze your heart? Push the fear away by focusing on God. Read Scripture. Remind yourself of how he has strengthened and protected you in the past, and remind yourself that his powerful presence is still with you. Step confidently into your day, and refuse to cower in fear.

Start each day by renewing your courage through the quietness of prayer and through rest in God. Ask him to fill your heart with an awareness of his power and presence and to bolster your courage through that knowledge.

2

Perfect Love

There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.

1 JOHN 4:18

Fear is an interesting emotion. Even when you try to have courage, fear wiggles its way into your heart, similar to the way water manages to leak through the smallest opening. A little anxiety is certainly normal because life does have its tense moments and . . . you’re human. However, all-consuming fear and trust in God’s love cannot exist in your heart at the same time. If you truly believe that God loves you, why are you afraid?

God’s love is perfect. What does that mean to you? Perfect love is deep, pure, constant, steady, forgiving, trustworthy, dependable, protective, sacrificial, and a multitude of other adjectives. Perfect love . . . there is nothing wrong with it and nothing to criticize about it. Grasping, believing, and trusting in God’s perfect love for you helps push away fear because you know God is protecting you and guiding your decisions and steps. He loves you perfectly, so there is no reason to fear. Take courage in his love. Ask God to help your love for him grow deeper so that you have a greater understanding of his care for you.

3

Guarded

You hem me in behind and before,

and you lay your hand upon me.

PSALM 139:5

You’ve probably seen photos of celebrities out in public, surrounded by security guards they’ve hired to protect them. They have a wall of guards around them to make certain no one gets too close. The guards protect their employer on all